ABC ‘This Week’ Parrots Iran Regime Media on Accidental School Strike

Jorge Bonilla
March 1st, 2026 4:05 PM

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When the United States is engaging her enemies, you can always count on her media to parrot enemy propaganda. ABC’s This Week twice cited Khomeinist regime media and unthinkingly echoed its attribution of a school impact to the United States and Israel within its recap of Operation Epic Fury. 

The first mention does not directly implicate the United States in the bombing of the school, but nonetheless leaves little to the imagination:

IAN PANNELL: The mission, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” launched in broad daylight, targeting at least nine Iranian cities and rocking the nation of over 90 million people. Screams of terror as cars and buildings engulfed in flames. One strike hitting an elementary school and killing over 100 people, according to Iranian state media.

It is when correspondent Ian Pannell wraps up his live hit that he directly accuses the United States and Israel of bombing the school in Minab, which killed around 150 persons. 

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And, Ian, some Iranian retaliatory strikes have landed in Israel?

PANNELL: Yes, that’s right, devastating strike today that landed just outside of Jerusalem in the Beit Shemesh area. Emergency responders are on the scene. They’ve been trying to reach people who were trapped in the debris. They’re saying that eight people have been killed, and that something in the region of around thirty people have been injured. 

And I think those numbers are likely to rise. And the death toll from that U.S.-Israeli strike on a girls’ school in Iran, now at least 148. I think, a key reminder for all of us, that this war has very real, very deadly consequences, and often for innocent people. George.

After the first mention of the school strike, there was a passing mention of U.S. Central Command stating that they are investigating the strike and affirming that they would never deliberately target a school in this manner, However, there was no such clarifier after the second mention of the school strike. There was no mention whatsoever of Israeli denials of targeting the school.

Likewise, there was no mention of reporting that points to the possibility of an Iranian missile misfire. The school in question sits about 650 yards from an IRGC naval base and a misfire is well within the realm of possibility given that the same thing often happened in Gaza. Likewise, these misfires were often blamed on Israel.

With so much going on in the early fog of war, there will often be a need to correct early reporting. This is why it is reckless to report with nonexistent certainty that the U.S. and Israel hit the school in Minab, especially when citing the Iranian regime media as a source.

Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, March 1st, 2026:

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We’re going to address it all this morning with our ABC News team across the globe. Chief foreign correspondent Ian Pannell starts us off from Tel Aviv. Good morning. Ian.

IAN PANNELL: Yes, good morning, George.

After killing Iran’s supreme leader yesterday, Israel and the U.S. have continued to hammer Iran with growing deaths both inside Iran and elsewhere in this region. And astonishing, new details now emerging of the first moments of that operation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PANNELL: This morning, day two of war with Iran, with the U.S. and Israel again striking across the country. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard promising the most intense offensive operation ever, targeting Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Overnight, President Trump responding, saying, “They better not do that. However, because if they do, we’ll hit them with a force that’s never been seen before.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowing revenge for the ayatollah’s killing, confirmed by Iranian state TV Saturday night, saying the supreme leader was carrying out his assigned duties in his workplace when he was killed.

Across Iran on Sunday, mourners seen gathering to honor Khamenei, as other videos circulating online show people celebrating his death. The 86-year-old cleric had served as Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, targeted in that joint American-Israeli military operation early Saturday, with President Trump announcing Khamenei’s death on social media. Posting, “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead.”

Satellite imagery showing substantial damage to the ayatollah’s compound. Smoke rising from the scene. Israel and the U.S. say many of Iran’s other top leaders have also been killed. Despite achieving one of the key goals of the operation, the president’s insisting American military action in Iran won’t stop now, saying, “the heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of peace throughout the Middle East and indeed, the world.”

President Trump released this video early Saturday morning announcing the beginning of the attack on Iran.

DONALD TRUMP: Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.

PANNELL: The mission, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” launched in broad daylight, targeting at least nine Iranian cities and rocking the nation of over 90 million people. Screams of terror as cars and buildings engulfed in flames. One strike hitting an elementary school and killing over 100 people, according to Iranian state media.

The U.S. now investigating and working to verify that report, saying it would never deliberately attack civilians. Iran responding quickly Saturday, sending hundreds of missiles and drones towards various targets across the Middle East, including at least four U.S. military bases in the region.

President Trump, in that early morning video, warning American troops would be at risk.

TRUMP: The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war.

PANNELL: As well as saying he wants to protect America, the president revealing maximalist goals, addressing what comes next for the people of Iran, saying, “this is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country.”

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PANNELL: George, we have new reporting from Israeli military officials who say that 40 of Iran’s key leaders, including the head of the IRGC and Ayatollah Khamenei, were killed in the first minutes of the operation. An Israeli official telling me the U.S.-Israeli operation will now expand, taking out more regime targets, state security, military, industrial locations, as well as nuclear and ballistic sites.

I asked the official whether it was more realistic now to think of this as a week’s long operation. The official admitting they are prepared for weeks, but they also hope it will be days, and that the death of the ayatollah could radically alter that timeline. George.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And, Ian, some Iranian retaliatory strikes have landed in Israel?

PANNELL: Yes, that’s right, devastating strike today that landed just outside of Jerusalem in the Beit Shemesh area. Emergency responders are on the scene. They’ve been trying to reach people who were trapped in the debris. They’re saying that eight people have been killed, and that something in the region of around thirty people have been injured.

And I think those numbers are likely to rise. And the death toll from that U.S. Israeli strike on a girls’ school in Iran, now at least 148. I think a key reminder for all of us, that this war has very real, very deadly consequences, and often for innocent people. George.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Ian Pannell, thanks very much.

 

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